In recent years many of the new residential developments in the United States and in foreign countries have emphasized the use of underground electrical service. This system eliminates the need for pole lines and above-ground wiring, thus substantially enhancing the appearance of a residential development. The placement of transformers at ground location rather than on poles has created the need for platforms or pads to support the transformers. Others have created transformer pads such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,962, 660; 4,056,251; and 4,023,755.
One problem with locating transformers on the ground surface is that of making certain they are safe. The problem is particularly critical as far as safety of children is concerned. Normally transformers are set on a pad with the transformers covered by a metal covering or housing. If any slight space exists between the lower edge of the housing and the top surface of the pad, children frequently are tempted to stick objects in this space. The typical transformer pad has a cable opening therein so that wiring from underground passes up through the opening and is connected to the transformer. If objects are inserted beneath the lower edge of the transformer covering, they can engage these cables, and if the objects are of metal, they can conduct electricity and a shock can occur.
Others have considered the problem of the safety of transformer pads and particularly the protection of objects extending under the transformer cover to engage wires. Pat. No. 3,962,660 teaches an integral ridge formed around the cable opening to act as a means to prevent tampering. This concept is satisfactory except that it requires the design of the pad to include provisions of this integral ridge and further, the ridge must be configured so that the outer periphery matingly engages the transformer covering. Since different transformer manufacturers have different sizes and shapes of housings, such an arrangement requires that the transformer pad be particularly designed for each specific transformer manufacturer and even with a given manufacturer, different molds are required to produce the integral raised ridge for different sizes of transformer housings.
The present invention is directed to a transformer pad which is tamper-proof by providing an arrangement wherein the cables extending through the cable openings are protected from engagement by objects extended under the transformer cover.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved transformer pad for mounting of transformers on the earth's surface. More particularly, an object of this invention is to provide a transformer pad including an improved means of making the transformer pad tamper-proof in a manner such that the transformer pad does not require a mold providing integral ridges and in a manner so that a single transformer pad is adaptable to receive a variety of sizes and configurations of transformers and transformer covers.
These general objects as well as other and more specific objects of the invention will be fulfilled in the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.